Back in June I had the most incredible experience in New Orleans. I was invited out to the Gulf Coast as part of the Food Blog Masters to discover the delicious fresh catch flavors of Louisiana Seafood . Good thing I LOVE creatures of the sea, because on this trip we indulged in everything from fresh caught crab, shrimp, oysters, crawdads, red fish…you name it. If it swims in the waters of the Gulf Coast we ate it.
We learned everything about the seafood process from boat to table……..
It is so fun to re-visit trips I have taken through photos. I hope you enjoy this virtual tour of the Gulf Coast. There was a lot to see.
Really, the views were great!
Can you believe these guys catch your seafood? I know. I think they need their own hunky calendar.
Here’s a close up of our crab man. I cannot remember his name. Let’s just call him hottie.
There are the blog pals on a little boat trip. See Maggy from Three Many Cooks? *hi Maggy*
Our cameras were glued to our faces the whole trip. Wave *hi* to Matt and Nathan.
There was seafood everywhere we looked…..
We had it boiled, steamed, fried, poached, broiled, grilled, sauced…..and it even looked us in the face.
We met Jambalaya Girl. How cute is she!
She makes the best dang jambalaya ever. Her slogan is “Yum Yum Come Get Me Some” I got me some. Lots.
Check out this crawdad boil. See those andouille sausages floating in the broth? They were addictive!
Lots and lots of crawdads. They are like little tiny lobsters.
The people we met were amazing hard workers. They liked to smile.
Makes me glad to know how much passion, drive and ambition they have about their jobs even after Louisiana suffered through so much hardship the past few years.
These folks head out to the waters daily to bring us the freshest catch. Their energy and enthusiasm is pervasive in everything they do.
Hopefully one day you will find yourself by the bayou, enjoying the fresh catch from the Gulf and taking in the lovely scenery. This was my second trip to Louisiana. The first was back in 2002, before we had kids. My hubs and I celebrated Thanksgiving Creole style at Commander’s Palace.
The memories of both trips to NOLA will last a lifetime.
My favorite thing to do at the end of each day was drink my favorite chicory ice coffee at Pain du Monde. Happy days indeed!
What is your favorite seafood? Have you ever been to New Orleans?
*Thanks to Amanda from Kevin and Amanda for taking the photos of me in this blog post.
Links to some Seafood Tour Posts
- MarlaMeridith.com Commander’s Palace Jazz Brunch
- Food Woolf LA Seafood Video LA Seafood. Is it Safe? NOLA The Food Tour Louisiana and Creole Tomato Salad
- Kevin and Amanda A New Orleans Instant Commander’s Palace Highlights Oh Snap! Pralines and Cooking School The Bourbon Hotel Sucre Bakery Unforgettable New Orleans
- Matt Bites 10 Things I learned About Louisiana Seafood (and a Sno Ball)
- Picky Palate Loving New Orleans Commander’s Palace Dining Experience
- What’s Gaby Cooking Louisiana Seafood
- Louisiana Seafood Top US Food Bloggers Take a Bite into Louisiana
- Jambalaya Girl Party to the Pot’s for Nation’s Top Food Bloggers
- Adam Roberts and Craig Johnson The Amateur Gourmet
- Amanda Bottoms Kevin & Amanda
- Amy Sherman Cooking With Amy
- Brooke Burton Food Woolf
- Caroline Potter OpenTable
- Chichi Wang Serious Eats
- Daniel Delaney Dan Delaney
- Emma Christensen The Kitchn
- Gaby Dalkin of What’s Gaby Cooking
- Jenny Flake of Picky Palate
- Marla Meridith of MarlaMeridith.com
- Maggy Keet Three Many Cooks
- Matt Armendariz and Adam Pearson of Matt Bites
- Nathan Lippy Food, Drinks and Rock ‘N Roll
- Pim Techamuanvivit of Chez Pim
MarlaMeridith.com Disclosure: The Food Blog Masters Retreat was sponsored by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board and organized by Zehnder Communications. I was invited to attend and all opinions are my own.
Okay, first off, I love your hat. Secondly, what a view! You were right on about those hotties. 😉 It looks like you had a great time! I’ve always wanted to go to New Orleans. 🙂
Caroline, hopefully this post will inspire you to get there sooner than later. Glad you like the hat & the hotties 😉
Was the heat bearable in June?
Caroline, the heat was getting pretty sticky and hot. I LOVED the weather in New Orleans when I was there in November. June was bearable though.
That said I am a cold weather loving gal. Ya know, that crisp mountain air drives me… xo
Haha…I know you and the mountains. 😉 I was born and raised in Charleston, SC so I can handle the heat, but I much much MUCH prefer the crisp mountain air. That being said, I can’t wait until Fall. 🙂 And it looks like I’ll have to plan a trip to New Orleans in the Fall too. Yay…thanks for the inspiration!
You are so cute, Marla!
I LOVE the shots. I NEED TO BE THERE.
Bev, I can only imagine how FUN it would be if you were there!! One day we ALL need to be on a trip together.
Marla, the pictures are just breath-taking! I hope the NOLA board of tourism sees these and is hiring you to shoot for them 🙂
And the views not being bad…lol…I was thinking the same thing when I saw all those buff bodies. I mean blue water 🙂
I would love love love to have been on this trip, as I told you. Both from a foodie sense to see it all and explore the richness of the NOLA cuisine scene as well as from a travel/photography point of view…so much amazing imagery.
Wow.
Your photos, as usual, continue to inspire, wow, and awe me. Amazing !
xoxo
Thanks so much Averie! I am so glad I was able to provide lots of eye candy 😉 I would love to head back to NOLA sometime soon. The amount of photo ops are endless. I have so many photos from the 5 days there it is crazy. You would love all the inspiration everywhere you look. And the food….omg. We were so spoiled!
This looks like an amazing trip, Marla. I loved watching everyone’s recaps, and the seafood looks just delectable.
Shaina, glad you are digging the re-caps. When are we gonna be on a trip together again?? That seafood was over the top fabulous!
This trip looks like it was a lot of fun! I am not sure what I would have stared at the most though, the hunks with all the tattoos or the seafood creatures! 🙂
Joumana, I like your style girl. Trust me, it was very hard to figure out where to focus 😉
This is such an awesome experience and filled with delicious seafood! Thanks for sharing. I’m drooling even I just had lunch! Thanks for sharing. Have a good weekend.
Thanks Amy, you have a wonderful weekend too. Together we can live vicariously through these photos. Wish I could get my hands back on all that seafood.
You crack me up!! Your comments about the “good view”, damn – good view indeed!
Ha! I just could not keep those views to myself now could I….
Wow, that is awesome and so interesting! Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
Rosa
I must be old and married, lol, I thought your shot of the crab with the blue legs and the anchor with the ropes were gorgeous. (Although I appreciated the hotties, too. 🙂 Great photo tour of NOLA — and you looked SASSY!
Kimby, I also thought those crabs with the blue legs were stunning. There was so much to take photos of everywhere we turned. Need to go back an snap some more……don’t worry the sea creatures had me just as wowed as the hotties 😉
Fun! Love this post!!
Ever since reading Anne Rice’s vampire stories when I was in high school, I’ve always wished to visit. It looks like so much fun. I’d love to eat all that delicious sea food.
*kisses* HH
p.s. love that pic of you :), very cute
Thanks HH. I read Anne Rice’s books too a long time ago. When I first went to the Garden District (where she lives & where Commander’s Palace is located) I was astounded by the gorgeous homes & gardens. It is a special place with a rich history. I can see why she is so inspired to write there. You must get out to NOLA some day~you would love it there.
Isn’t it something special to see exactly where your food comes from and who is bringing fishing it out of the water for you? It makes a person more appreciative and makes you think about the workings of the world and what it took to get that food to your table. I always have to marvel at it.
And, lovely photos, as always 🙂
Marla, wow, what a trip that must of been. Glad you shared it with us. You are right, the hotties and and sea food were really eye catching. I love lobster and crab meat, maybe I can indulge sometime soon. Judy
Stunning photos! Super cute boys in new Orleans!
Gorgeous photos!
What a great seafood tour! Some really great shots.
Your photos look amazing, as always!
What a FUN trip!! I love everything about it. The food, the company, the little critters, and the hotties 🙂
Ari, critters and hotties make for a great time indeed!
this is just amazing!
Fabulous photos and a fun read. Love it!
Beautiful pictures! Looks like you had a great time.
What a fun time that looked like. Thanks for sharing it with so many great pics.
Wow. The views certainly look um…breathtaking. 😉
Thanks for the recap. It looks like you had a great time!
Great pictures Marla! you are so cute in the gingham shorts!
I love that I heard from somebody totally separate about the hot crabbing guys! lol!
Heather, that is funny how these stories get around 😉
This looks like a blast! Great photos! I want to be there
Looks like a fantastic trip! The photos are gorgeous!
marla, such fun! i would go there just to take a gander of those fabby fisherman!
Looks like such an amazing time!
Sounds like you had a wonderful time Marla,thanks for the blog comment…
If you’re gonna go to New Orleans, you absolutely HAVE to have a seafood experience! You look adorable, Marla, and the whole trip looks like so much fun!
Thanks Joanne, glad you like the re-cap. Sometime we need to go one one of these excursions together…..and eat lots of seafood. Or we need to meet at the Red Rooster in NYC. Ahhh, a girl can dream right?
Goodness, those ‘views’ are breathtaking! 🙂
I’m so glad you were able to make this trip and share it – I’m sure it has helped the image of the Gulf Coast. And – I’m glad to see it seems they’re rebounding!
I can’t wait to make a trip to NOLA – definitely one that’s on the list and just might have to get bumped up! A trip over Thanksgiving sounds like a great idea.
Gosh, this trip looks so magical! I want to take a trip with you soon, okay? We’re planning the Girl Hunter weekend ; )
Love the seafood in NO (how can you not when it is so darn fresh and they know how to prepare it). I spent a lot of time at the gulf coast when I was growing up and sometimes I yearn to go back. After that post, I think I need to plan a trip!
That looks like a fabulous trip! Oh, how I love New Orleans!
You got me wishing I was there for this fun food and great friends amongst you! WOW~ awesome pictures!
Looks like a blast! I’ve never been to New Orleans but would love to go just for all the food!
Wow, those really were some great views!! 🙂 They do need a calendar…
Awesome pictures!! And the ones of the food weren’t too bad either. 🙂 Definitely some cute boys in LA! Thank you for sharing the experience, looks like a fabulous food and fun filled experience.
~H
Wow, such beautiful pictures Marla. And I have never seen such fresh off the boat seafood! My favorite fish is red snapper!
The photos of you are adorable! And the rest of the photos are stunning! The boys DO need a calendar! I’d buy it 😉
Yvette, I say we make a calendar. Bet it would make a fortune!
Hilarious! Looks like a smoldering trip in more ways than one. 😉
And look how cute you are in your hat. Love it!
I agree. We need more hunky dude calendars!
Whoa…what a fabulous trip! Yes, they do need their own calendar! 😉
You are adorable…and your pictures are so, so pretty!
That looks like so much fun! I’ve never been to New Orleans, but my grandpa was a waterman and I do love seafood. I have to say that the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab has to be my favorite, but I’m sure that the LA seafood would be just as delectable!
Betty, I would love to get my hands on some of that Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab too! One of these days I will get back east and get my hands on a few of those guys 😉
Ohhh yes indeed…nice views! 😉
Wow Marla, what an amazing trip. All that seafood!!! And you look just adorable.
Just saw this on Pinterest. OMG how fun! Hubby is going to a conference in NOLA next month and now I am soooooo sad I can’t go. boo hoo.
Love this post, Marla. Fabulous!
Thanks Marina. That is cool that your hubs is going to NOLA. Would have been cool if you could have checked it out with him. Hopefully next time!